Red Bull F1 Chief Lashes Out at Max Verstappen’s Father, Accuses Him of Being Unnecessarily Frustrated

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner is not particularly happy with Jos Verstappen. The former F1 driver has levelled a lot of criticism at Red Bull and repeatedly dropped hint of Max leaving.

However, Horner believes that Max Verstappen is not as frustrated as his father makes it out to be. Although, it was worth noting that Verstappen Jr admitted that Red Bull may not win another race in 2019.

Speaking to Dutch television Jos confessed that 2020 could be a “lost year” for Red Bull if they do not make changes.

However, Horner insisted that Max has been very optimistic of Red Bull’s future, especially after visiting Honda’s factory to discuss the 2020 plans.

Speaking to Autosport about Jos Verstappen’s accusations, Horner said: “Max is a very different person to his father. He sees the bigger picture.”

“He was in Sakura [before the Japanese GP] and he has seen what is coming, and the commitment of Honda to the development of the engine, and to F1.”

“In the factory, he sees what is going on, so I think racing dads, unfortunately, can sometimes get a bit excited.”

Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull only lasts until the end of 2020 and Red Bull would love to retain him for 2021. However, Horner has dismissed suggestions of contract talks, as the driver market is set to change drastically in 2020. This is because, a number of top drivers are set to become free agents.

Speaking about negotiations being delayed, Horner said: “It will have to be. Max, Lewis [Hamilton] and Sebastian [Vettel] are all out of contract at the end of 2020, so three of the four big players are in the open market.

“Inevitably all of them will wait to see the relative performance of their individual teams during the course of next year, and I would say the first half of next year.”